Hydraulic fracturing is a process where a hydraulic fracturing fluid is introduced at pressure into a wellbore that has been drilled in a geological formation. The hydraulic fracturing fluid migrates into some tertiary paths (such as paths that are smaller than the wellbore including, but not limited to, cracks, fissures, gaps, slits, and other fractures) in the geological formation—some tertiary paths may have been formed by the presence of the pressurized hydraulic fluid in the wellbore. The hydraulic fracturing fluid increases the size of the tertiary paths in the geological formation. The hydraulic fracturing fluid is then removed from the wellbore, and the increase in tertiary path size caused by the hydraulic fracturing fluid increases the permeability of the geological formation. This allows for improved flow of natural gas, petroleum, and brine from the geological formation.
In some cases, the tertiary path size in the geological formation will decrease when the hydraulic fracturing fluid is removed from the wellbore. To ameliorate this effect, proppants (such as sand, ceramic, and the like) are added to the hydraulic fracturing fluid to maintain the increased size of the tertiary paths in the geological formation after the hydraulic fluid is removed from the wellbore. This is achieved because proppants deposited into the tertiary paths while the hydraulic fracturing fluid is present and remains in the tertiary paths after the hydraulic fracturing fluid is removed from the wellbore.